


Chip Off The Old Block

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [229]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 05:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21423247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: Jack jumped out of the truck and jogged towards the side of the road where his suspicions were confirmed. Curled in a ball was a young dog, soaked and shivering and scared. He gently reached out.“Hey buddy,” he said quietly, giving the animal a friendly smile, “what are you doing out here?”
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Bizarre Holidays [229]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1234973
Comments: 26
Kudos: 94





	Chip Off The Old Block

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘Check The Chip Day’ (15 August), when pet owners are encouraged to get a check up on their pets and make sure they are chipped. There really are some bizarre holidays out there… AU fic.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack said as he turned onto the next street. “I’ll be there in a few minutes, Daniel.”

His acknowledgement didn’t make much difference however as his friend continued to update him on the progress of their newest patients, so he resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead concentrated on his driving. It was raining heavily, the thunder continued to rumble in the distance and the wind had also started to pick up and whilst Jack was thankful for his truck, the conditions weren’t ideal and it would be easier to navigate the roads without Daniel’s incessant talking.

Finally, Jack could take it no longer. “I’m a minute out, Danny. I’ll see you then.”

Without waiting for a response, he ended the call and threw his cell phone onto the passenger seat. He’s a lot of time for the man, he really does, and he’s one of his closest friends but the weather had put Jack in bad form this morning and even though he tends to work far over his actual set working hours, today he doesn’t want to have to deal with anything work-related until he actually gets there.

He loves his job and not a day goes by when he doesn’t send up a silent prayer of thanks for those he works with, Daniel in particular. He owes Daniel his life as he was the only one who stood by Jack following Charlie’s death and refused to let him self-destruct. Instead, he helped him lay off the booze and throw himself into something he loved – something Charlie would be proud of him achieving, which is what eventually led him to opening his own veterinary practice on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. Charlie, just like Jack, loved animals and it seemed like a fitting way to now always be able to pay tribute to his late son.

Turning onto the second last street from his practice, Jack suddenly thought he caught a flash of something moving at the side of the road. He slowed his truck but despite looking in his rear-view mirror, he couldn’t see much through the rain. However, his gut told him that there was definitely something there. With a sigh, he pulled over and switched off the engine. Before his feet had even hit the ground, the rain beat down relentlessly against his body and quickly saturated his clothes, but he jogged back towards the side of the road. It took a few seconds but then his suspicions were confirmed. Curled in a ball was a puppy, soaked and shivering and scared.

“Hey buddy,” he said quietly, giving the dog a friendly smile. “What are you doing out here?”

Warily, the dog lifted its head and sniffed at Jack’s outstretched hand before it curled back into a ball and whimpered softly. Jack shifted closer but couldn’t see any obvious signs of injury. It was hard to see given the conditions but he knew that if he didn’t get the dog dried and warmed up soon, it wouldn’t be a happy ending. After a moment of hesitation, Jack pulled his fleece over his head and rolled it into a ball in his hands before he slowly reached out and scooped up the puppy. It didn’t resist and as soon as the animal was in his arms, it snuggled closer to his chest. Casting a quick glance around to make sure there were no others, Jack turned on his heel and headed back to his truck. Once inside, he placed the dog on the passenger seat and gave it another quick onceover. Satisfied that he could make it to the practice without any emergencies, he watched the dog lift its head and sniff around its new surroundings and at the unfamiliar smells.

With a small smile, he reached out to scratch the dog behind its ears before he switched the truck on.

“It’s okay, bud,” he muttered as he started driving. “You’re safe now.”

* * *

‘Well, as far as I can tell he’s perfectly healthy, sir. He’s been well looked after by his owner.”

“How old do you reckon we’re dealing with here?”

“Around twelve weeks. I think he’s probably been outside and the storm has spooked him.”

“So, not a stray.”

“Not a stray,” Janet confirmed as she took the seat opposite Jack’s desk. “He does have a tag,” she added, dropping it into his hand when he gestured for it, “and he’s microchipped, but I haven’t contacted the owner yet. I know you prefer to do that.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, looking at the information inscribed into the dog tag that had been retrieved from the puppy’s collar. _Sam Carter._ He frowned at the name; he knew most people in the surrounding area but not this person. “Thanks, Doc.”

With a final nod, Janet got to her feet and turned to leave and the puppy, who Jack had temporarily named Bart, started at the sound of the door closing. Running a hand over the dog’s head, Jack spoke softly to settle him again, only for Bart to decide he was no longer sleepy. Instead, from his position on Jack’s lap, he stretched and leaned his two front paws on the desk. He looked bigger, not to mention healthier and happier, now that he was out of the elements and Jack had to admit that the dog was cute. _Really_ cute. He had all the time in the world for animals – and dogs in particular – but there was something about Bart that had captured his heart. He’d miss the little guy once his owners came by to collect him.

And with that thought, Jack pulled the animal back onto his knee. He ran his thumb along the inscription on the tag and picked up the phone. “Okay,” he said, “let’s hope Sam Carter picks up.”

The phone rang three times before a woman’s voice came over the line.

_Hi, this is Sam Carter –_

“Hi, this is –”

_– please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can._

When a shrill beep followed the message, Jack sighed. He _hated_ answering machines, always preferring to speak to someone, and it took him a few seconds to remember that he actually needed to _leave_ a message. But on this occasion, he’d also been surprised to discover that Sam Carter was a woman and something about her piqued his interest. He shook his head to get rid of the thought and cleared his throat softly.

“Hi Sam – uh, Mrs – Miss – Carter? It’s Jack. O’Neill. Uh –”

He winced at his sudden inability to leave a voicemail and abruptly ended the call. Immediately, though, he realized that was the wrong decision because he’d left out the very important reason for _why_ he was calling her, and yet he couldn’t make himself pick the phone back up to ring again.

He wiped the palms of his hands against his scrubs and froze. _Was he nervous?!_

He snorted at the idea and shook his head. There was no way he was nervous about a woman he knew absolutely nothing about. Telling himself to stop being so ridiculous, he picked up the phone and when he got her answerphone for the second time, he waited for the beep. He could do this.

“This is a message for Sam Carter,” he said, “It’s Jack O’Neill – from the veterinary practice downtown. I, ah, I have your dog. He’s fine,” he added quickly, “but if you could call back when you get this message so we can return him to you, it’d be appreciated.”

He hesitated for a moment but there was nothing else he could tell her over the phone, so he absent-mindedly shoved the tags into his pocket and shrugged to himself. “So, yeah… call me.”

He ended the call and closed his eyes. “Call me,” he repeated with barely veiled embarrassment. “You’re an idiot, O’Neill.”

* * *

Less than an hour later and there was a knock at Jack’s office door. He looked up to see Daniel standing in the doorway. He was smiling.

“What?”

“There’s someone here to see you.”

“Yeah,” he said, returning to his paperwork. There wasn’t a day that went by that someone wasn’t here to see him, but he didn’t have any more set appointments for the afternoon. “Who is it?”

“Bart’s owner.”

At this piece of information, Jack’s head shot up.

“Sam Carter is here?”

Bart, who had been lying in the corner of the room, jumped up at the mention of his owner’s name and he made his way over to Jack, his tail wagging from side to side as he looked from Jack to Daniel and back again before he barked impatiently.

“Yeah,” Daniel nodded, his smile widening as he reached down to acknowledge the puppy. “She seems… nice.”

_“Nice?”_

“I think you’ll like her,” he shrugged nonchalantly, and with that he turned and headed back towards the reception area.

Jack stared after Daniel and his cryptic comments for a few seconds before he crouched down to scratch behind Bart’s ears. In response, the dog moved closer and licked Jack’s face before he sat down and looked up at him with impossibly wide eyes.

“Oh yeah,” he grinned. “I’m going to miss you, buddy,” he added as he picked him up and headed after his friend.

He’d only just stepped through the double doors that separated the reception area from the offices when a young and very pretty woman made her way into his line of sight.

_“Thor!”_

Jack heard the stranger’s relief at seeing her beloved pet again but before he could make a joke about the dog’s moniker, ‘Thor’ started to squirm and Jack barely had time to set him on the ground before he ran over towards the woman. Effortlessly, she picked up the puppy and placed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I was so worried about you,” she mumbled, and Jack felt something ignite in his chest at the scene before him.

It was only when Thor barked that he jumped and realized both the dog and its owner were staring at him.

“I’m sorry, I –”

“I said you must be Jack O’Neill.”

He shook her outstretched hand and tried to return her smile. “I’m Sam – Carter,” she added needlessly, letting her hand fall by her side. “I should apologize for not returning your call,” she continued after a beat. “I only moved here a couple of weeks ago and I’m still trying to find my way around – but I was so nervous about Thor and –”

“It’s fine,” Jack interrupted gently, noticing how flustered she was becoming. “I’m just glad we were able to reunite you both.”

“Where did you find him?” she asked, her attention switching back to her dog. “I’ve been looking everywhere for him; he was in the back yard when the storm started and he got spooked by the thunder. There’s obviously a gap in the fence I didn’t know about.”

“It happens,” he shrugged, “but at least we can call it a happy ending for Thor.”

She nodded in agreement. “I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Nah,” Jack said with a wave of his hand. “He made himself comfortable in my office, but I think he’s ready to go home now.”

As if Thor could understand the conversation, he barked, causing both Jack and Sam to chuckle. Without thinking, Jack reached out to scratch behind the puppy’s ears one final time.

“No more escapades for you, bud,” he smiled, although the traitorous voice in his head admitted he wouldn’t mind seeing Thor again – especially if Sam also made an appearance. He cleared his throat and gestured towards the main door.

“Let me walk you out,” he offered, ignoring Daniel’s intrigued expression as he’d watched the entire exchange unfold from behind a bookcase at the other side of the reception desk.

When they stopped at a fancy little sports car, Sam turned to face him and it was only now that Jack noticed how blue her eyes were and within seconds, he deduced he could get lost in them very quickly.

“What do I owe you?”

Blinking, Jack shook his head. “Nothing.”

“But you had to run tests and house him and –”

“Aside from our little visitor here,” he shrugged. “It was a quiet morning. It’s fine.”

He could see she didn’t buy his reasoning, but she finally relented.

“Well, thank you,” Sam said, flashing him a brilliant smile and Jack felt it was worth more than any payment from her could have been. “I really appreciate you looking after him for me.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Jack murmured, reaching out once more to rub Thor’s head. “Don’t forget to get that fence fixed.”

“I won’t,” she grinned as she unlocked the car and Jack forced himself to step away as Sam placed Thor inside her car. With a final smile in his direction, she slid into the driver’s seat. Jack turned and headed back towards the practice but he hesitated slightly and turned to watch them leave. He stayed there until the car was out of sight and he sighed. He was going to miss them _both_, he realized.

Thinking he missed his opportunity to see her again, Jack ran a hand over his face in frustration before he thrust his hands into the pockets of his scrubs and he frowned. Lifting one of his hands from his pocket, he discovered Thor’s tag lying in the palm of his hand and the light reflected off the surface to highlight Sam’s name and contact number.

He’d completely forgotten he still had the tag and his heart started to race as he realized he might have been given a second chance.

He turned the tag over in his hand before he curled his fingers around the metal and he smiled. He’d call Sam tomorrow and explain.

Maybe by then he’d figure out how to ask her on a date.

**Author's Note:**

> I know there wasn't much reference to "microchips" in this chapter. I guess I became distracted by images of Jack as a hot vet. I regret nothing. 😂
> 
> Also, thank you for the encouraging comments on my previous chapter; I will respond to every one shortly! Xo


End file.
